United for change

Good grief – it’s all been so action packed of late that I have barely had time to breathe, left alone update my blog! Here are some of the highlights of the last fortnight:

• We launched our campaign for on-going support for the sector at the House of Commons on Wednesday. What a great turnout – loads of MPs, cdfa members, and stakeholders. We were delighted that David Blunkett, James Plaskitt and Kerry McCarthy all spoke, as well as the Chief Executive of Barclays Retail Bank, Deanna Oppenheimer. Joe Dumont. Our Head of Communications, is leading this work – you can contact him at j.dumont@cdfa.org.uk
  
  The Action Plan outlines the way the sector needs support to help it grow so that it can continue to serve the most disadvantaged communities throughout the UK. Our experience of serving this market provides us with unique knowledge which we intend to build on until we are not needed any more. We also launched our campaign website. Visit it at www.moneyforchange.org.uk and sign up to the cause.
  
  After the launch, I went out with Paul Breen and Andy Jupp from Business Finance Solutions, a cdfa member based in Manchester. (Note to self: never take two unreconstructed Northern blokes to the Cinnamon Club in London again). An enlightening experience!

• Leading up to the launch we held seminars around the country to ask our members and other stakeholders about the challenges they were facing in the recession and to raise the profile of our work. The events were in London, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester. We then presented our findings to the Government and others in a forum we held in Westminster this week. Thanks to Barclays for supporting all these events.

• As well as hurtling around the country chairing the seminars, I have been doing local radio interviews to let people know about our work. So far, I have been on the air in the South East, London, North East and West Midlands. I think local radio is a brilliant way to reach local people, so hopefully loads more people know about what we offer and how we can help them through difficult times.

• After intensive lobbying by the cdfa, Lord Mandelson has announced some reforms to the BERR’s Enterprise Guarantee Scheme, which should help the sector’s capital flow. CDFIs, government and banks all need to work together to make this happen. A real coup for the cdfa.
  

• Conference places are going fast: make sure you don’t miss out as it is vital your views are taken into account as we move the sector onto a stable footing. You can book at www.cdfa.org.uk/conference
  

• Reports of a rift in the community sector around the introduction of a CRA equivalent are quite wrong. The cdfa has always worked constructively with others in the third sector and it always will.

Well, I am off on my travels this week - on a whistle stop tour of financial inclusion projects in India. I am going as a part of Treasury’s Financial Inclusion Task Force and am really excited by the prospect. I will tell all when I get back.

On the home front: what home front? Been far too busy for that sort of thing!